Mama
by MagnusLove
Summary: Cara's not the mother. Or is she?


"Can you get him?"

No answer. The baby was in his holder and crying to be brought up front to the cockpit.

"Cara, can you grab the kid?" asked Mando, not taking his eyes away from the black expanse of space in front of him. He was nervous. Bounty hunters were looking for them, and Mando was in a constant state of alert. He saw out of the corner of his eye that the woman still hadn't moved, and wondered for a second if the she was asleep.

"Cara, wake up!"His voice was raised a hitch, and while not technically yelling, it was still a departure from his usual subdued tone. The woman woke, suddenly aware of her name being called.

.

"What?" Cara answered groggily, looking over to the Mandalorian. The bounty hunter sat tensely in his chair, hands tightly gripping the controls, staring out at nothing. Although he was turned away from her, Cara immediately knew that he was pissed about something. While they hadn't been traveling together for a very long time, she had learned to read his body language, mainly because she couldn't see his face, and it was the only way for her to decipher what he was thinking and feeling. Fortunately, the bounty hunter's movements, or lack thereof at the moment, were easy to read. She sat up in her seat and was about to ask him what the problem was when she heard the baby cry out.

"The kid's crying, Mando. Why didn't you grab him?", she huffed as she headed toward the carrier.

""Why do you think I was yelling for you?", the man sighed as Cara came back to her seat, baby in tow. She sat with the child in her lap and he instantly started cooing happily, finally able to see his caretaker. The baby reached for Mando, but Cara pulled him back into her lap.

"No, you stay right here kid." She reached up to the console and removed the silver knob that the child loved to play with. His eyes lit up and she showed him the ball, tiny green fingers rolling it around in her palm. Once she saw that he was sufficiently occupied, she looked to the bounty hunter to address his comment.

"I didn't hear you yell for me, Mando," she said accusingly. "I'm sitting right beside you. Anyhow, why didn't you grab him?", she asked, looking down at the still-distracted baby playing in her lap. "I'm not a babysitter. We discussed this before I agreed to come with you. I'm here to help you fight, not to be a nanny. I'm not mother material."

"That's not obvious at all," Mando clipped sarcastically, still not looking in the woman's direction. "And I'm not asking you to be a nanny. You made your feelings very clearing regarding the kid. But part of helping me is helping me with him." He spoke slowly and in an exasperated tone, as if he was explaining to a child.

"He needs nurturing, not just protection. You are a woman, and the kid probably misses his mother. Even a soldier can have a heart."

Cara looked at the man, a mixture of anger and humiliation on her face. The Mandolorian always spoke bluntly, but this time his bluntness was directed at her, it was personal, and it stung. She felt an angry retort raising up in her throat and tried to stifle it, finding she could not.

"If you're so worried about him being nurtured, try taking that helmet off and letting him see your

face," she spat bitterly. "Oh, that's right, you can't. You won't. Don't you think he'd like to see your eyes, your smile, if you even do smile? You won't make any concessions for him, won't do anything that makes you uncomfortable. But I'm supposed to, huh? How convenient for you. And how very hypocritical."

Cara turned her chair forward again and looked out of the cockpit window. She realized that the baby was looking up at her quizzically, and she wrapped one arm around him, letting him know that everything was ok. She was furious and hurt, but didn't want her feeling to wash over the child. The cockpit fell icily silent, and before long the baby began to yawn, eyelids growing heavy. Cara tucked him into the crook of her left arm, laying her own head on her right arm. Only then did she realize how tired she really was. Her bed every night was the very seat she was sitting in now. Mando had promised to make room for her, but hadn't as of yet. She had slept in many uncomfortable inconvenient places before and really wasn't fussy about it. But at that moment she would rather have been anywhere but beside the bounty hunter. She still wanted to yell at the man, hurt his feelings, make him feel how she felt. She knew that her words could cut like a knife, and she had cut many a man down with them. And while Mando seemingly didn't respond to her taunts, she believed that somewhere inside of him, her words had to have an effect. But she didn't deserve what he had said. She was here helping him, not for money, but because she believed in what he was doing. He was trying his best to save the child from a horrible fate. A child that he had no ties to. One that he shouldn't be emotionally invested in. No blood of his. Yet here he was, risking everything for one soul. She admired it, and him. And even though he didn't know it, she too had become attached to the child and him. She hadn't wanted to, just in case this all didn't work out ok. But this adventure, these people, were like none she'd ever come across. She wanted to put her arms around man and child, protecting them both from harm. But she couldn't show that side of her. It wasn't the soldier way.

The mental gymnastics in her head finally became too much, and Cara drifted to sleep, the baby snuggled soundly into her soft frame.

Mando sat stiffly in his seat. He noted the lighter breathing of the woman and child, signaling that both had drifted off to sleep. Only then did he let his muscles release, all tenseness leaving them. He shoulders sagged heavily, and the bounty hunter slumped back into his seat. He closed his eyes momentarily before looking over at the other cockpit occupants. Cara was snoring lightly, head sunk down into her chest. The baby was nestled into her arm, Cara's hand resting gently on his head. They looked peaceful and relaxed, and the man felt a twinge of jealousy. He didn't know the last time that he had slept. They were constantly on the move, running from the bounty hunters that were in constant pursuit, jumping from planet to planet, stopping only to refuel and gather supplies before taking off for the stars again. For the longest time it was only Mando and the child, making it much harder for him to complete his tasks in the brief time afforded him. He trusted no one with the child until he invited Cara to join them. He trusted her to have his back in a battle when he needed it. She was an excellent fighter and trustworthy. He stomach recoiled as he thought of the things he has said to her. She had agreed to come with him to get the child to safety. Hopefully back to his own kind. She'd asked for nothing in return, even though he insisted that he pay her for her troubles. It wasn't fair to ask her to risk her life free of charge. Everyone else's this point had betrayed him, and he believed that loyalty earned reward.

"Some reward," he muttered to himself. He had accused her of being less than a woman, simply because she didn't want to sit on the sidelines saddled with a child that wasn't even hers. She was right. He was a hypocrite. Her beliefs may note be code like his, but they were her beliefs, and he had no right to question them. She had clearly stated her rules and he had accepted them. Besides, it wasn't like she had nothing to do with the baby. She helped feed, bathe, and clothe him. She kept him on occasion when he felt that the child's safety could be compromised while in his presence. Even now, after everything that was said , she held him protectively in her arms. Even if she didn't have the emotionally attachment in the way that Mando did, it was obvious that she cared for him.

Mando got up and retrieved the baby's blanket from his carrier. The child squirmed as Mando placed the blanket over him and Cara. As his tiny fingers grasped at the blanket, the silver knob that he had been clutching fell to the floor. Cara's eyes opened slightly, hand reaching up to comfort the jostling child.

"Shh, it's ok, sweetie", she whispered to the child before kissing him lightly on the top of his head. "Go back to sleep, baby. I've got you."

The child laid his head on her chest and she looked up at a Mando. "Is everything ok?.," she asked groggily.

How didn't he see it before? Cara reassuring the child, protecting and loving him. This was everything that the baby needed, and Cara was providing it.

It is," he answered gently. "Everything is fine. Get some rest." Cara nodded and sank back into the seat, trying to get comfortable again. Once they were both settled, Mando headed down to the sleeping quarters. He had work to do.

Cara awoke to bright sunlight streaming through the cockpit window. She squinted through the bright light, trying to see where they were. It was too much and she gave up, closing her eyes again while gently stretching her body out of the seat.

"I can't keep doing this," she muttered, before looking over to where the Mandolorian sat. He wasn't there. She remembered the fight. Mando had probably gone into town and taken the baby with him.

"Dammit," she grumbled. "Being mad at me is no reason to put the kid in harm's way. At the very least he could have let me know he was leaving." She sighed before opening the cockpit door and heading outside to study her surroundings. She stepped out of the ship into the lush greenery of a forest. Cara could hear running water and after acclimating her ears to the sound, she heard the child gurgling and cooing from not too far away. She headed in the direction of the sound, coming into a clearing. There she saw the Mandalorian, back to her, and child sitting at the water's edge. Mando was holding the baby, letting him dip his hands into the water. He put his hands in and came up with dripping fingers, which seemed to excite him to no end. Cara smiled and worked her ways towards them before she stopped. Something was different but she couldn't figure out exactly what. She looked and the two playing in the water, Mando hands raising and lifting the child, his hair blowing….his hair! She could see his hair! It was only then that she noticed Mando's helmet sitting in the shore beside him. His brown hair (she had guessed it was brown!) blowing gently in the morning breeze. He turned his head slightly, and she glanced away. This wasn't for her to see. The two were having a blast and hadn't noticed presence her yet. Cara turned and headed back to the ship to wait for their return.

Cara was sitting on a rock outside of the ship when the two returned. Mando's helmet was back on and he was carrying the baby in his arms. She looked up from the shirt that she was sewing and the baby stretched his arms out to her. She took him and set him in her lap, where he immediately went after her repair kit. She shushed him away from the kit before looking up at the bounty hunter.

"I figured you took him and went into town," she said before looking back at the child.

"I wouldn't do that without letting you know, Cara," he answered. "We just went exploring a little while you slept. Speaking of sleep, I have something to show you. Come on," Mando said, extending a helping hand to her. She took the hand without comment and followed Mando into the ship, baby in tow.

Mando headed below deck and Cara followed curiously. What was there below deck that she didn't know about already? The Mandalorian offered no clues, only going deeper into the recesses of the ship. He stopped when he arrived in front of one of the recess panels. With the push of a button, the panel glided up silently, revealing a a sparsely decorated room. Cara walked past the bounty hunter and looked inside. She saw a a bed, a table, and a chair.

"It isn't much, I know," Mando said from behind her. "But it's going to be a lot more comfortable than that chair."

Cara looked at Mando. "When did you do this?"

"Last night. While you were sleeping. I should have done it sooner I know, but…" he voice trailed off as he looked at the child.

" I know. I'm sorry. I was wrong-"

"You were right. About me. I'm sorry. Can we start over?"

"We already have," she answered.


End file.
